


Push and Pull

by thoughtsfromaclutteredbrain



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst with a Hopeful Ending, F/M, It needs to be fixed, It's still angsty, KaraMel, SuperValor, a rewrite of the goodbye scene, battles lost and won, but I think it does their relationship justice a bit better, cuz let's be real, from 3x23, is that a thing???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 22:59:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15035213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoughtsfromaclutteredbrain/pseuds/thoughtsfromaclutteredbrain
Summary: Despite defeating Reign, circumstances in the future force Mon El to return and help the Legion, leaving Kara behind once again. He has to say goodbye to Kara once again, and thank her for everything that she did for him.{a rewrite of the goodbye scene from 3x23]





	Push and Pull

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So... although I did enjoy some aspects of the Supergirl season finale, the ending... left some things to be desired for, especially in terms of the Karamel goodbye and how they chose to end Mon El's arc on the show (for now). They seemed to tease a Karamel reunion the entire season, just for him to leave without any tears shed and without any mention of the flame they still hold for each other. Compared to last year's finale, and last year's goodbye, the whole scene just didn't have much impact, and fell pretty flat. This is a rewrite of that scene. I did like some aspects of the scene, so I kept the bones of it and most of the dialogue, but I added in things that I felt should have been there and that would have made it more satisfactory to me. I hope you enjoy. See end notes for more ranting lol.

Kara was standing on the DEO balcony, looking down at the city below when Mon El found her. 

She had a lot of things on her mind at the moment; Argo, Reign, National City, her recent time traveling adventure. Looking out at the city and hearing all of the heartbeats always calmed her down and centered her mind. Kara was lost in her own thoughts when Mon El's voice broke the silence. 

"Well, you did it."

She whipped her head around to meet his eyes, which were full of pride, relief, and something else she couldn't quite place. 

"Just like a Greek myth. You went down to the Underworld, and slayed the three headed monster and saved Persephone."

Kara couldn't help herself from chuckling at his words. She didn't remember showing him any Greek myths before; it was another reminder of the life he had lived without her. But she couldn't stop herself from correcting him, in spite of herself. 

"Uh... I think in the myth, Persephone eats pomegranate seeds, and is confined to the realm of Hades forever."

"Well, that just strengthens my point," he responded. "Because... the Greek gods have nothing on you."

She chuckled at his remark, and ducked her head to prevent him from seeing the blush that adorned her cheeks from his words. She spoke when she recovered. "Well, I couldn't have done it without you."

He laughed at her words, dismissing them instantly. "No, that's not true. This uh... this victory was yours. It was flawless."

Kara furrowed her brows, weighing his words in her mind. Not being able to meet his eyes, she directed her attention to the city instead. He noticed her expression change instantly.

"What's on your mind?"

She brought her attention back to him, trying to determine if she should tell him the truth. But one look into his eyes; those bright, trusting eyes that she had loved so much, and she found herself telling the truth.

"It wasn't perfect," she stated, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders instantly with the confession. 

"What do you mean?" he started to ask, and she cut him off before she could change her mind.

"It wasn't perfect because... Originally, Sam came... and we both fought Reign, and as we won... Reign went crazy, shooting her laser vision everywhere. I couldn't stop her, and she killed Sam... killed my mom... and you."

He had been listening intently, trying to make sense of her words, but with that, his eyebrows shot up. She continued talking though, letting the words flow, ridding herself of the burden.

"I watched you die, Mon El. I watched my mother die, and it was only then that I realized that the Harun El could reunite Reign and Sam, but... it was too late. But I remembered what Imra did, hitting the disruption on purpose, sending you and the Legion back in time... I went back in time, and I defeated Reign the right way. Without killing her, without casualties. But... I know there's gotta be consequences of that, of going back in time. And I'm scared of what they're going to be... But I couldn't let you guys die because of my decisions."

He nodded, silently sympathizing with her. She could see that there was something on his mind now, that something that she said had sparked a thought in his mind, but she wasn't done yet.

"And... before we went to Argo... I just had this thought; this thought that I could be Kara Zor-El, ordinary citizen. That I would feel like I was home. But when we were fighting Reign and those witches, I just had this moment... this realization that Argo City isn't my home anymore. National City is. _Earth_ is, and my mission is to protect it. I mean, my whole life is here."

"Yeah," Mon El agreed quietly. There was a sadness in his tone that she noted, but she kept talking. 

"It's messy, complex... balancing Kara and being a hero... that's who I am."

It was then that Kara noticed the tears in Mon El's eyes. 

"What's wrong?" she asked, scared of the answer, scared that maybe, _maybe_ they hadn't actually won yet.

He swallowed, and she could see the effort he was putting into holding back his tears. "No just... what you were saying about consequences... and home... Coming back to this time, after being in the 31st century so long..." 

He trailed off then, not continuing the thought. When he continued, his voice sounded almost pained, like it physically hurt him to say what he was saying. "I have loved fighting by your side. Every second of it. Being there through all of it; the ups, the downs, the particularly tough days. And you know, for a moment there, I thought... that maybe this was my place, my time, my home..."

She had a feeling she knew where this was going, and she felt a sickening feeling sinking into the pit of her stomach. He looked away from her as she nodded sadly, trying her best to keep her emotions on the inside. 

"But I learned some troubling things today about the future..." He trailed off again, and his next words came out in a whisper. "I need to go back."

She closed her eyes, fighting to keep her own tears at bay. She had known this would happen, she knew that this was no longer his place, but she had held onto hope that maybe... just _maybe_ he would have been able to stay. She had let that hope grow in the past couple of days. She had grown to think, just like the first time she saw him again on that ship, that maybe one day she'd be able to be with him again. But it seemed like this wasn't the time. 

"I can't abandon the Legion," he continued. "Or the world that I swore to protect right when they need me the most."

"I know you can't," she responded, hating the shakiness in her voice. "You wouldn't be the man you are if you did... the man I admire so much."

She left it at that, too scared to say more, not wanting to mention the feelings she still had for him. They both were very aware of their feelings for each other. Even if their circumstances had changed, their love had remained constant. But her words weren't lies. She admired the man that Mon El had become. To her, it wasn't long ago that she had helped him learn to tie a tie and taught him about the world he had landed on, and helped him to find his place in it. But the man before her had grown so much. It was extraordinary.

He sniffled a bit, wiping at his nose gingerly. She could tell how hard this was for him. "I really wish I could stay. I wanted to."

"I understand," she replied, but her voice cracked on the last word. 

He seemed to weigh the idea in his head before bringing her in for a hug. She hugged him tight, knowing that this would probably be the last time she was able to for a long time; if ever again. She balled the material of his cape in her fists, trying to capture every second of this moment in her head. The way the city lights were shining in his teary eyes, the feeling of his cape in her hands, the smell of him as she pressed her face into his neck. She tried to form a mental picture of _him_ in this moment. It was all she would have.

"Star-crossed," she heard him mutter under his breath, and she couldn't help herself from reiterating the words he had told her once, when circumstances had torn them apart before. 

"Just like Romeo and Juliet."

She felt a tear sliding down her cheeks, but she didn't have the will to wipe it away. It seemed to be the way their story was meant to play out. The universe pushed them together, only to pull them apart, again and again.

"Why are we always saying goodbye?" she couldn't stop herself from asking. 

"I don't know," was all he managed to reply.

"I will never forget you, Kara Zor El," he whispered into her ear, and she could hear his tears falling as well. "The type of person you are, the type of _hero_ you are. The way that you live and love and inspire others. I will never forget it."

Kara pulled away from him far enough to allow her to place her forehead on his, just like the dream she had just a few months ago. She cupped his cheeks in her hands, running her thumbs along the scruff of his beard. He closed his eyes at the feeling, and she knew that it was taking everything in him not to lean into her touch.

Kara's words were hushed when she started speaking again, not able to raise her tone above a whisper without losing it. 

"And I will never forget you, either... Mon El of Daxam. The man you've become... your big heart for others... your valor."

The whole thing was so reminiscent of the previous year that she couldn't help herself from echoing his words. "You'll be in my heart."

He reached up, clutching her necklace tightly between his fingertips as he repeated her words. "You'll be in my heart."

They stayed like that for a moment, and she wanted it to last forever, but she knew that it couldn't. Despite that, she couldn't prevent her heart from breaking when he started to move out of her touch. 

"Well, I guess we've both got some saving to do," he said, forcing a chuckle out. She gave him a tight-lipped smile in return.

She wanted to give him one last piece of encouragement before he left, so she told him the one thing she thought of. "Go be a hero."

He held her gaze for a second longer before he started to walk away. 

She wanted to say something else, _anything_ else to get him to stay, but she knew that he couldn't. He belonged somewhere else, and his duty was somewhere else. She remembered when she told him that she'd go after him every time. She wished that could be the case this time, but things were so different now. That moment seemed like a lifetime ago, and it was a harsh realization when she remembered that to Mon El, it was.

When he was almost off the balcony, he turned back around. 

"And hey," he said, fiddling with something in his hands before tossing it to her lightly. She caught it easily, and looked down at it, registering what it was while he spoke. A Legion ring.

"It's about time you had one of your own," he told her. 

She forced a laugh, looking down at the ring in her hands. "Thanks."

He gave her a long look before speaking. "In case you ever need me," he told her, and she nodded her head once. With that, he turned away and walked out of her life, possibly for the last time. 

It was only when she was alone again that she took a moment to really study the ring. She had borrowed it for a short time on Argo, but she had been so paranoid that she hadn't really paid much attention to it. It was a pretty simple design, a L symbolizing the Legion, but it was the other symbol on it that gave her pause. 

A comet. 

The words echoed in her head before she had a chance to stop it. _Your eyes were insanely blue. Like comets._

She sighed, putting the ring onto her finger, and then using the same hand to wipe away another tear that had escaped from her eyes. 

She didn't know what it was exactly, but something about Mon El's last words gave her a bit of hope again. She could feel it, burning dimly in her heart. Because as much as the universe liked to pull them apart, it loved to conspire to bring them back together. 

And maybe, just _maybe_ , it wasn't done bringing them back to each other again. Maybe her words weren't false last year. Maybe... maybe he would always end up coming back to her. Every time.

**Author's Note:**

> The things I added in here were to appease some of my issues with the scene, and with the season, such as:  
> -the fact that her victory was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination  
> -the fact that NO ONE EVER NAMED MON EL  
> -actually acknowledging their relationship as more than just pain  
> -giving some hope to us Karamel shippers
> 
> Also, while I'm ranting, what was the point of Kara learning cape tricks if she wasn't going to use them in the finale???? It made that ep seemed wasted! And I didn't make Kara and Mon El kiss in this since she was never even told that him and Imra broke up, let alone that the marriage was arranged. I don't know guys. I liked the season overall but there are just so many issues. I'm a bit disheartened, but I will continue to write fics when inspiration strikes and ship these two adorable space puppies. 
> 
> [I am also on Tumblr under the same name, thoughtsfromaclutteredbrain]


End file.
